MODELYEARINDEX

Which Honda Clarity Plug-IN years to avoid

No Honda Clarity Plug-IN model year in 2018–2019 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2018 and 2019, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Honda Clarity Plug-IN Full report
C
Grade 2018–2019
2018 vs model median 1.5×
Model median3× median
Engine 22
Drivetrain 17
Fuel System 12
Weakest

2018 · 2019

Best

2018 · 2019

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2018
1.51× 111 C
2019
0.49× 38 A

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2018 C 111 reports · median 3,500 mi

  1. Engine 22

    I filled the seven gallon gas tank yesterday, and the dashboard range display calculated the range of the car on gas power as 871 miles. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 17

    Vehicle engine responded to accelerator pedal input, but would not travel at greater than 25 miles per hour on slight uphill. Vehicle had been started after being off for approximately two hours. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Fuel System 12

    The hv (hybrid vehicle - gas) fuel range is wildly overinflated. The car has a 7 gallon tank so it should be about 300 miles on a full tank according to the epa estimate. However, it often shows in excess of 800 miles. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

9 crash · 3 injuries

2019 A 38 reports · median 8,790 mi

  1. Engine 8

    The car drives fine when there is sufficient battery. When battery level drops to low (2 bars) the car does not respond to accelerator. The engine becomes sluggish and revs up quite a bit. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Speed Control 6

    On a random basis our new clarity suddenly loses power and sounds like we have shifted into neutral even though we are just continuing in drive mode. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 5

    The contact owns a 2019 honda clarity plug-in hybrid. The contact stated that after refueling and recharging the vehicle, the mile range indicator would display inaccurate mileage range information. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

1 crash

The best year for the Clarity Plug-IN

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2019 is the best-scoring Clarity Plug-IN model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 87.8 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2019 0.49× 38 A
2018 1.51× 111 C

Recalls

No recall campaigns are on record for this model.

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2018 were reported at a median of 3,500 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Honda Clarity Plug-IN years should you avoid?
No Honda Clarity Plug-IN model year in 2018–2019 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2018 and 2019.
What is the best year for the Honda Clarity Plug-IN?
2019 is the best-scoring Honda Clarity Plug-IN model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 87.8 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Honda Clarity Plug-IN have?
0 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Honda Clarity Plug-IN model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2018 Clarity Plug-IN
Complaints in window
111
Severity-weighted
159
Model median (weighted)
105
vs model median
1.51×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
0
Open investigations
0
Score 62.2 C